A Particular kind of cake
by RonnieTheZombie
Summary: After a accident involving Henry. Emma and Regina are forced to work together to save him. No cats were harmed during the making of this story. SwanQueen Of course
1. Chapter 1

**Authors notes:**

This is the first thing I have ever written that contained more than 650 words. The entire fiction is complete and I will upload it all at once. I did have a beta but, as you know, mistakes can slip in. Please let me know if you spot any and I will update the chapters for future readers.

 **Chapter notes:**

The Story starts right when Regina leaves the welcome back party in 2:10 (The cricket game). It becomes canon divergence from there although I did use some inspiration from the rest of the episodes. In my version Cora and Hook never show up from the enchanted forest so I guess that's the only part of the previous episode I left out. I just wanted to write some humor since it is the one thing I have been missing from the show. Let me know what you think.

I don't own anything of OUAT. But you already knew it.

 **Chapter 1:**

 **The big announcement**

The diner was as lively as it was before Regina left. Emma saw the empty bowl that once housed the Queens lasagna and wondered if anyone would return it to her, or if Granny was just going to add it to some collection she hides under the counter.

'What was I thinking?' Emma thought to herself. She thought it would be a good idea to invite Regina, and was pleasantly surprised when she actually showed up. Even though she would never admit it. As Emma contemplated silently in her regular booth, Mary-Margaret decided to block her view of the now empty dish.

The pixie haired woman was all smiles and stood with her hands clasped in front of her. She looked liked she was about to faint in adoration of the blond. Emma was still coming to terms with living in a town full of fairytale characters and the idea that Snow white was her mother was last on the list for her subconscious to accept. So instead she just gave her a half smile and succumbed to the awkward silence.

"Do you want to talk about what happened in the enchanted forest? I mean it was quite the adventure we had there huh?" the teacher said as she decided to slide into the booth across from Emma.

"It was... it was quite the experience." Emma said half heartedly, not wanting to hurt the feelings of the other woman.

"You know, since the curse is broken, perhaps I could give you some archery lessons. You are going to need it when we go back."

Emma choked on her own oxygen and felt the blood leaving her veins. "Whoa whoa there. Go back?" She finally choked out in utter surprise. "With the ogres and the chimera?" Emma saw an emotion on Mary-Margaret's face that she could only interpreted as disappointed surprise. "Just give me some time to get used to... everything first. Okay?" She decided to add as to not completely destroy the woman sitting in front of her.

The teacher quickly lightened up as if she never felt betrayed at all. Emma was surprised at how quickly she could switch her emotions and doubted for a second that they could ever be related. "Alright." Mary-Margaret said as she gave Emma the widest smile she could muster. "I am going to find Charming. We will talk more later." She said more as a question rather than a statement and Emma just gave her a simple nod in return.

'Charming.' Emma thought to herself and was quickly reminded again of her bloodline, which stirred up another round of contemplation.

But her thoughts were quickly interrupted by a clinking noise and she looked up to see Sean, or rather Prince Thomas, standing by the counter, hitting his glass with a spoon. " Can I have everyone's attention for just a moment." He said loudly to the gathering in the diner. Everyone stopped what they were doing and the music died down. All focus was on him. "A lot has happened to the people of this town. But gratefully the savior was able to release us from the Evil Queens curse, and reunite us with our loved ones." He said smiling and everyone cheered in agreement. Emma forced as much of a smile as she could, while everyone stared at her in applause. "But as I said." He continued. "A lot has happened and we, my wife and I," nodding to Ashley standing by his side, "Thought that this town deserved something more." Silence fell as they all awaited his suggestion. "We might be reunited with our loved ones, but this world is different. So Ella and I have decided to hold another wedding. To make our nuptials legal in this realm to."

Cheers along with chatter erupted in the diner. Sean was right. Their marriages weren't technically legal and they inspired some in depth conversation among the fairytale patrons. Emma, still sitting silently in her booth, overheard some 'creative' phrases including "evil bitch" and "queenie" coming from all over the room. She also overheard congratulations going around towards the "soon to be re-wed" couple and she is almost certain she heard Mary-Margaret suggesting to bake the cake. She decided that this was getting too much for her and that she had enough of dwarves and princesses for the night. She made her way to the door but was stopped by the pixie haired woman.

"Are you leaving?" the teacher asked. She almost looked like a sad puppy that was denied the last bite of pizza. Emma just smiled as much as she could.

"Yes. Just need to clear my head."

"Oh that's fine. You go, we will bring Henry home." Mary-Margaret said as Emma nodded and left the diner to take her long deserved walk in the quiet little town.

The next morning Emma was awakened by the extremely loud giggling of women coming from downstairs of the cramped apartment. She ruffled her hair, sighed and got up reluctantly, not even bothering to check her appearance. When she reached the top of the stairs she looked upon the scene unfolding in the makeshift living room. Ruby, Ashley and Mary-Margaret were surrounded by what looked like wedding magazines, scraps of fabric all arranged by color and even a large sample size of what looked like cupcakes. Ruby had stuffed two of the cupcakes in her mouth which Emma assumed was the cause of her rude awakening.

"Emma!" Mary-Margaret exclaimed as she noticed the blond standing at the top of the staircase in nothing but blue silk boxers and a tight fitting white tank top.

"Morning." Emma yawned out, looking nothing like a princess.

"Come join us. We are planning Cinderella's wedding." Ruby mumbled through the cupcakes she was still trying to consume.

"It's this weekend." Mary-Margaret added.

"Oh... em." Was all Emma could get out. 'This weekend?' she thought to herself and just stood in awkward silence before stating that she had to get to the station and go see if David was coping. She quickly ducked back into her room and got ready as fast as she could before practically running out of the apartment. The last thing she needed was to be absorbed by wedding obsessed princesses. And a wolf, she reminded herself.

Emma had decided to rather walk to the station. It was close enough and she needed the fresh air. All around her people were walking by and greeted her with smiles. She considered that walking might not have been the best idea and just waved back at them before putting her hand back in her pocket. She was distracted by yet another admirer, and didn't look where she was walking when she was suddenly knocked back in her step.

Emma took a second to compose herself and saw non-other than Regina standing in front of her. Her white blouse stained with coffee.

"Oh you are definitely related." The brunette said sarcastically.

Emma didn't know what to do. So she grabbed the napkin that Regina was holding and started wiping down the coffee soaked mayor. "I'm so sorry." she said as she tried her best to dry up the stain.

"That's enough Miss Swan!" Regina exclaimed and considered for a brief moment to ring the blonde's neck. Luckily Emma stopped and continued to apologize.

"I'm really sorry, I wasn't looking." Emma said hoping that the scorn on Regina's face would go away.

"A trait that runs in your family it seems." Regina added and Emma had to look down at the pavement. Regina couldn't help but realize just how much Emma looked like Henry in that moment. He would always have the same look when he did something wrong and she called him out on it. The thought of Henry immediately changed the demeanor of the queen. "How is Henry?" Regina asked. A look of longing replacing the previous glare she had on her face.

Emma was shocked by the sudden change in topic as she was half expecting her head to be a new road side attraction. "He... he's good." She stuttered out.

Regina couldn't help but smile briefly at the news and Emma noticed it. She remembered how Regina had left the previous night and the thought made Emma feel guilty. "You know..." Emma started and rearranged her thoughts to quickly think through the idea that was forming in her head. "If Henry wants... Maybe he could come visit you some time?" Emma finally said, thinking that was the best way to structure her idea.

Regina's eyes lit up and a sincere smile spread across her face at the prospect. "Really?" She asked.

"If he wants to." Emma added to make sure Regina understood that this was all up to him. The brunette suddenly lowered her head, questioning if Henry would want anything to do with her. Emma noticed the change in her demeanor. "I'll talk to him and let you know?" she asked hoping that the other woman would trust her to do it. She simply nodded and then brushed passed Emma not saying another word. Regina would never admit it but Emma could see tears forming in the queens eyes and forgave her for not even saying goodbye.

It was later that evening during dinner when Emma thought of bringing up the conversation she had with Regina. They were all sitting in the lounge as the apartment didn't have sufficient space for a proper dining room. Henry was done spilling out his day, much to the joy of his grandparents, and Emma thought it would be best to catch them all in a good mood. "Henry, ever miss your old room at Regina's?" Emma thought this was a generic enough conversation starter and would give her a chance to gauge the severity of the topic.

"Yeah." was all Henry managed to say. Emma realized, that much like herself, Henry wasn't one for many words when it came to sensitive topics.

"You know..." Emma started in the same way as she did when she relayed the idea to Regina. "If you ever want to, you could go visit the mansion." Everyone in the lounge looked at Emma in surprise. "If you want to." she quickly added.

"He will go no where near that woman." Mary-Margaret stated, matter-of-factly. "Unless you have forgotten, she nearly killed him."

"That wasn't meant for him, it was meant for me." Emma argued.

"Exactly. She can't be trusted." the teacher said, waving her fork pointedly at the blond.

Emma looked at Henry who went very quiet all of a sudden and she could see the sadness brewing in his demeanor.

"She's still my mom." he finally said. Emma thought back to her life in the foster homes and remembered how she yearned for a family. She would have given anything, said anything to have a home. The thought had crossed her mind if she would have called her adoptive parents mom and dad if she should have been so lucky to be adopted. This is why his words didn't shock Emma at all but Mary-Margaret was another story.

"Emma is your mom. That woman destroyed our family once before and I wont let her do that again."

"I don't think the kid visiting her would destroy our family." David said much to the surprise of both Emma and his wife. He didn't look at them, just continued to stab at the food in his plate, but he was sure that they were both staring at him.

"Who's side are you on?" Mary-Margaret asked him with a scorn waiting on her face if he should dare to look up from his plate.

But he didn't. He just continued to chew his food and then after another brief moment added, "Henry's." A playful smile crossed his face, knowing that he would pay for it later when Henry and Emma weren't there to see just how much wrath Mary-Margaret held.

"So what do you say kid?" Emma asked Henry, pretending not to notice the shocked expression still lingering on the teachers face.

"I'd like to visit her sometime." Henry said with a pleading smile.

"I'll arrange it." Emma said and then ruffled his hair.

The next day Emma was sitting at the station waiting for another call to come in about a missing cat, or one of the royals complaining about their neighbors T.V. being too loud. David had made himself right at home in the sheriff station and was throwing a paper airplane around the room. Emma didn't exactly know what his title was but it seemed no one cared and referred to them both as sheriff. As he threw his make shift boredom creation around the room once more he noticed Emma staring at him.

"What are you thinking about so deeply? Is a certain mayor occupying that head of yours?" He asked playfully and got a smile from his daughter which made him feel like he won the lottery.

"No, although safe bet. I was thinking of what exactly your title was now that we are both working here."

"To be honest, I don't know either." He sighed, grateful for the conversation and not really caring what people called him. "But speaking of the mayor, have you called her yet to let her know?"

Emma just sighed and raised an eyebrow at him and that was all he needed to know that she hadn't.

"Why not?" He couldn't understand why the call would be so hard to make. He knew that Emma had run the idea by the mayor and given that Henry agreed, this should be easy.

"What if Henry changes his mind?" Emma finally said. She didn't realize just how much she was fearing it until she actually said it. She could just imagine getting Regina excited about the prospect and then having to make another call to say it is not happening. She could see the inscription on her future tomb: 'Here lay Emma Swan... She pissed off the Evil Queen for the last time'.

"And what if he does?" David interrupted her train of thought. "At least she will know that Henry was willing to go. I think at this point she needs that." He seemed to actually understand. Emma was completely surprised by how David was acting. He wasn't treating Regina like the 'Evil Queen' and he even had the guts to go up against his wife the previous night.

David caught on to the question in Emma's mind without her even saying anything.

"When you and your mother were gone, I saw a different side to Regina. She really wants to try to be good for Henry and I believe she deserves a chance." He answered her unspoken question.

Emma wasn't sure how she felt about him saying 'mother' but she quickly realized that there was more to the story than him simply seeing Regina's softer side. "And?"

"It made me think of my brother."

"You have a brother?" Emma was genuinely surprised.

"Yes, a twin brother. He passed away though so don't expect any gifts from your uncle James." He said with a smile on his face although Emma could see that there was a certain sadness that brewed in his joke.

"Why did Regina make you think of him?" There was a silence that briefly hung in the air before he answered.

"We were separated when we were barely teething. I never knew him, but he wasn't a good person. He was vile and had a reputation that followed him. A part of me wondered, that if it was me instead of him, if I would have turned out the bad person instead."

Emma contemplated his statement. "Evil isn't born it's made. Is that what you are saying?" Emma asked as she understood where he was going with this.

He smiled but didn't look at Emma. The silence said everything that needed to be said and she was surprised by just how easy it was for the two of them to communicate. Emma sat up at her desk and gave a deep sigh. "I guess I have a call to make."

Emma had a smile on her face as she put the phone down. She had told Regina and she was sure that the mayor was doing a prim and proper version of a victory dance. They had both agreed to let Henry go to the mansion the Friday and Emma would pick him up again the Saturday before the wedding.

Later that evening Henry actually did do a victory dance, when Emma gave him the news. "You are letting me sleep over?" He said out of breath.

"Yeah why not?"

"I'll tell you why not." Mary-Margaret chimed in and the mood suddenly went sour. "She's the Evil Queen. Have you forgotten what she did to you Emma? She took you away from us." The teacher pleaded with tears forming in her eyes.

"Technically you gave me away." Emma said softly and more to herself but that didn't mean Mary-Margaret didn't hear it.

"Because of her!" She exclaimed and then left to go sulk in her room, not wanting to argue further.

"I'll talk to her." David sighed and Emma gave him a nod in agreement.

David must have given Mary-Margaret some speech because the next morning the teacher was back to her chipper self. She even made breakfast. The smell of pancakes filled the entire apartment. Emma and Henry nearly floated towards the kitchen when they woke up and felt their stomachs growl. "This seems nice." Emma said as she saw the heap of pancakes covered in syrup.

"I felt bad about how I acted last night. I hope you can understand why."

Emma could see the sincerity in the woman's eyes and gave her arm a gentle pat. "Of course I do. All I am asking is that we all give Regina a chance."

"But we did give her a chance before and she tried to kill me." Mary-Margaret said softly as if to make Emma understand that she wasn't saying it because she wanted to argue.

"But she didn't ask for that chance. People will only take a second chance if they want it. In her eyes accepting the chance you gave her meant that she was admitting, to you, that she was weak. She saw it as loosing to you and you can't fault Regina of not wanting to loose to you. I mean you know her better than that. This time is different. She is the one asking for a second chance and I believe in her." Emma gave a sigh almost as if saying that many words in one day were to much for her, but she had to try and make Mary-Margaret understand.

The teacher stood in silence for a moment, digesting the things that Emma had said. A sudden smile erupted on her face. "Okay. I might not like it, but I will let you do your thing." She said to Emma. Henry stopped mid chew and mumbled something inaudible to himself. The teacher's demeanor suddenly changed as she added, "Just leave me out of your plan. There is too much history there."

Emma nodded and took a second helping of pancakes, earning her a smile from her former room-mate.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter notes:**

I don't own anything from OUAT.

 **Chapter 2:**

 **The Big disaster**

Henry had packed the biggest bag he could carry. "You know you are only staying for one night. Right?" Emma asked him as he dragged himself downstairs the Friday morning. "How are you going to go to school with that giant thing following you around?" she gawked half surprised and completely amused at the boy.

"I'll be okay" he said through heavy breaths. He knew he was only staying for one night but he had to pack everything he could. He wanted to show his other mother everything he had done in the weeks that he didn't spend with her. Artworks, new comic books, and he had even written her a letter that he was planning on giving her as soon as he could.

"Okay. Your choice kid." Emma smiled and chuckled at him. She thought that maybe he'll just put the bag somewhere in class for the whole day as to not have him be bothered by it, and that is the only reason she allowed it.

Mary-Margaret came rushing past them carrying a shopping bag and a sealed cardboard box. She was already half way out the door when she looked back at them. "Wedding plans. Baking a cake. Very late." was all she said before closing the door and Emma was sure she might have heard a faint swear word coming from her former roommate.

"Ready kid?" Emma asked an exhausted Henry.

Emma had dropped Henry off at the school and watched him struggle with the giant bag to class. He first had denied that Emma help him but when he realized he wasn't strong enough to pull it out of the bug he relented. She helped him get it on his back and watched him walk off into the school yard. She laughed a little when he pulled it off his back and decided that it was easier to just drag the thing behind him.

She wondered who was teaching his class now that Mary-Margaret was in full wedding maid-of-honor duty.

She found herself laughing when she thought about him being taught by Alice in wonderland or worse, the Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. "This is crazy." she laughed to herself before realizing she was late for work. She sped off as fast as her bug would allow making a couple of kids, and a few teachers, look at the yellow contraption in terror as it half skid around the corner.

Emma couldn't decide why she had agreed to this, as she shuffled her feet to make sure she didn't loose her balance and drop Mary-Margaret's 'work of art'.

She had gotten a call while at work, just a few minutes before lunch. Mary-Margaret and Ruby were still over at Ashley's place and apparently her former roommate wasn't kidding when she said she was baking a cake. She had asked Emma to come fetch the cake and take it back to the diner as it will be stored there until the wedding the next day.

The thing was heavy. And humongous. Emma thought that quite literally everyone in town could have a slice and still go for seconds. But it was also beautiful, she had to admit. A three tiered blue silver cake lined with white detailing and what looked like strings of pearls all around the trim. The couple on the top of the cake had already been added and she noticed that they must have been hand carved. There were also blue leaves all around the base that had to have taken hours to design. Emma might have actually adored the thing if it didn't give her a literal pain in the neck.

For some reason the three other women had made Emma carry the thing by herself to her bug and just barked orders as she tried to keep the thing upright. David had taken the cruiser for patrol and Emma was regretting her choice in transport. The cake barely fit into the passenger side of the car, but Emma had maneuvered it in without damaging anything.

"Careful!" Mary-Margaret yelled as Emma closed the door a little too hard for her liking.

Emma couldn't help but throw her a look of disdain as she walked to the driver side. She sighed as the realization came that she will have to take the thing all by her self as no one else can get in.

"We will be at the diner in a few minutes. You go on ahead." Ruby said as Emma climbed into the bug.

"Drive slowly. And no pit stops!" The teacher yelled as Emma drove off as slow as she possibly could.

Emma really did drive slowly. She made her way through Storybrooke at a snails pace and constantly made sure that the cake was still doing okay. The drive took her past the mayors mansion and Emma stared at it while she basically crawled past it in her bug.

She wondered what Regina and Henry would get up to when he went there after school. She remembered the giant bag he had with him and how he stuffed every school book, every report and all his new comic books in it. A part of her was actually yearning to see how the Mayor would react to it. And how she would react when she saw that some of his marks had slipped. Emma knew she would probably get the blame for it and not the fact that Henry was being taught by characters from kids movies.

Emma was so lost in thought that she didn't realize she had sped up. She also didn't notice the cat that had thought it would be a good time to cross the street. Luckily Emma shook herself out of her day dream just in time and slammed on the breaks before hitting the poor creature. But she had forgotten about her precious cargo and watched as a piece of cream slid down her windshield.

She was too shocked to give any reaction. All she could do was watch as pieces of cake dropped, and dripped, from the passenger seat and dashboard. It was a mess. The entire front of the car was now vanilla cream filling.

"No no no no no." Emma finally said as the realization of what just happened set in. She picked up everything she could and tried her best to put the cake back together. It was useless. The cake was ruined.

Emma could see Mary-Margaret already. They had been treating her like a child, lecturing her about everything she does and had done. The worst part of it all... this right here gave them all the reason in the world to do it and Emma thought they might actually ground her. She briefly entertained the idea of just bailing. Thinking now would be as good a time as any to just up and leave Storybrooke for good. She would much rather do that than have to face the maid of honor right now.

But then Emma looked in her rearview mirror and saw the mayors mansion. "Regina." Emma said as she took another look at the abomination in the passenger seat. "Regina can fix this."

She swung her car around as fast as she could. The move gave her a look at the culprit. The cat just sat there on the sidewalk and Emma was almost certain that if a cat could grin, that this cat would be doing exactly that. She also recognized it as one of the missing cats she had gotten calls about. "I'll deal with you later." she scorned at the kitten that just started to lick it's paw like nothing ever happened.

Emma parked her car in Regina's driveway and proceeded to retrieve what was left of the cake. The cake was still heavy, so with no hands, Emma had to use her rump to close the bug's door. She finally made her way to the front door and, with both her hands full, she simply kicked at the door a few times. This move put her slightly off balance but luckily she was able to stabilize herself just as Regina opened the door.

There was silence. Regina looked at what could only be described as a blob in Emma's arms. She also noticed that Emma herself was covered with bits and pieces of cream filling and she didn't know what to make of the scene.

"Aren't you a little too old to be a girl scout Miss Swan?" Regina finally said to break the silence.

"Regina..." Emma started but Regina quickly cut her off not yet finished with her creative comment.

"... or are the ogres having a bake sale?"

"Please Regina this is serious."

Regina could hear the desperation in the blondes voice but still couldn't help but find the whole scene hilarious. She sighed and stepped aside allowing the blonde to enter with her monstrosity. She watched as pieces of cake slip off and unto her floor but even this couldn't make her angry enough to throw the blonde out.

"I'll clean up later. I promise." Emma said when she noticed the mayor staring at the pieces of cake on her floor.

"You better." was all the mayor said before she closed the door.

Emma wasn't sure how she felt at right this moment. They were in the kitchen and Regina had practically thrown herself over the counter, laughing. Emma had told her the entire story of what happened and Regina couldn't help herself. She had never seen the mayor laugh like this. She was almost certain no one had. She looked nothing like the Evil Queen everyone was calling her and Emma thought it must be because she was expecting Henry that day, and she was simply in a good mood. But that didn't mean Emma wasn't slightly hurt by the laughter.

"Some savior you turned out to be." Regina said finally needing air. She wiped the tears from her eyes and then suddenly started laughing again. "I need to find that cat and give it a key to the town." Regina continued laughing as Emma just leaned with her back against the counter and folded her arms. She wasn't laughing.

"Tell me Miss Swan. Is it just in your family's genes to be this idiotic or is it simply coincidence that you all are?" Regina said as she finally found a way to compose herself.

"Hey it can happen to anybody." Emma was about to remind her that Henry also had her bloodline but thought that this might make Regina mad and she would refuse to help her. "Will you please help me fix this?" She pleaded once again.

"How? Do you want me to bake you a new one? Because I'm sorry but we're fresh out of eggs." Regina said still half laughing.

"No."

"Then how?"

Emma waved her hands around. "Magic or something."

"Magic? Have you forgotten my promise to Henry?" the Mayor reminded the blonde.

"You used magic to get me and Mary-Margaret back." Emma argued and a part of her was getting really scared that Regina might actually not help her.

"Yes, but he was with me that time. And I did it to help the two of you."

"And this doesn't count as helping us?" She pleaded.

"I believe this counts as covering up your mess. Besides I would much rather see the look on your mothers face when you disappoint her."

Emma's blood started to boil. She was desperate and the last thing she wanted to do was get lectured by her...roommate. "So I guess you will be having dinner on your own tonight." She didn't really want to do it, but she thought she didn't have a choice. 'Did I really just use Henry as a bribe?' She thought as she questioned her motives and wondered if she was really one of the 'good guys'.

"Don't you dare throw Henry into this." The Mayor wasn't laughing anymore. Instead she was furious.

"You are the one who brought him into this."

"Oh you have gone too far this time Miss Swan." She didn't have to say it. Emma knew she had gone too far but her stubborn nature made it impossible for her to back down.

They continued arguing and was so focused on out-wording the other person that they didn't hear the door opening. They also didn't hear the footsteps that approached them. Regina gave Emma one last comment when she decided enough is enough.

"Fine Miss Swan I will fix your cake for you but don't expect me to behave from now on." Regina raised her hands and pointed them towards the mush on the counter.

Emma caught something out of the corner of her eye just as Regina was about to cast what ever spell she was going to cast.

"Henry!" Emma yelled but it was too late. Regina had cast the spell and it worked. The cake was as beautiful as it was before. The blue leaves, the pearl like trim. Just as if nothing had happened to it. But there was something missing.

"Where's Henry?" a shocked Emma said and looked at Regina who had just as much of a shocked expression decorating her face.

"I...I...don't know." She couldn't speak. The boy was just there and then he was not. Emma took a few steps towards the cake and her eyes widened. Regina saw this and decided to see what Emma was so surprised about.

There at the top of the cake, the hand painted couple stood just as they did before. Only this time they had company. A small hand carved boy stood next to them. Perfectly painted to look just like Henry.

Emma's knees gave out under her and she felt them hit the floor. "Henry." was all she managed to say.

Regina didn't say anything.

"You can fix this right?" Emma pleaded with the mayor, still on her knees on the floor. "Please tell me you can fix this." But Regina stood in silence and Emma could see a tear run down Regina's cheek.

"What have you done?" The mayor finally said.

"Me? You cast the spell!"

"This is all your fault. If you hadn't been such an idiot none of this would have..." She stopped herself. "No. It was arguing that got us into this mess. If I had just helped you Henry..." Regina couldn't stop the tears that started spilling from her eyes.

Emma stood up and, for some unknown reason, she held the Mayor who didn't protest. She simply continued crying into Emma's shoulder. "You can fix this though? Right?" Emma asked once the Mayor had stopped sobbing. Neither of them had noticed that they were still holding on to each other.

"I think so." Regina said through the last few tears.

"See it will be okay. It will all be okay." She said more to comfort herself than Regina.

"But what if I can't?"

"I believe in you. You are Regina Mills." Emma said and squeezed Regina a little tighter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter notes:**

I don't own anything from OUAT.

 **Chapter 3:**

 **The Chest**

Neither of them knew how long they stood there holding each other, but they were both startled out of their daze when they noticed a certain Pixie haired woman stand in the doorway.

"Emma?" She couldn't believe what she was seeing. There was her daughter, embracing her former nemesis. She could see that Regina had been crying and hoped that Emma was only trying to comfort her.

Emma and Regina quickly realized what had made the woman so shocked and let go of each other as fast as they could. Neither of them wanted to be the first to speak as neither of them knew what they needed to say. They both ran with options through their head.

"We have been looking for you. Even your father is out there looking. I saw your car in the driveway and ..."

"Emma came to show me the cake that you made." Emma realized that Regina had settled on the lying option and Emma was definitely relieved.

"And you were so enthralled by its beauty that it brought you to tears." the teacher said almost as sarcastically as the mayor ever could.

"She wasn't invited to the wedding." Emma quickly added and this earned her a scorn from the Mayor. She knew that she will be hearing about this a little later when they were both alone.

This comment however actually made sense to Mary-Margaret and she accepted it as fact. "I thought I said no pit stops."

"I just wanted her to see the cake. I thought she deserved at least that." Emma said which earned her another scornful look from the Mayor.

Emma walked to the cake and started lifting it. "I'll get it to granny's as soon as possible." She was about to completely pick it up when Mary-Margaret stopped her.

"Don't bother. I'll have your father take it. At least he won't keep me waiting." If Regina wasn't in such a sour mood she might have actually laughed at that comment. But she just rolled her eyes and watched as the pixie haired woman got her phone and walked out of the kitchen.

"What are we going to do?" Emma whispered to Regina and the mayor could see that she was freaking out.

"I don't know." Regina whispered back a little firmer than the blonde.

Emma took another look at the cake and realized that she couldn't leave the cake topper as is. She doubted that Ashley or her husband would be content with a wooden version of Henry on their cake. She looked at Regina, back at the cake topper and back at Regina. The mayor knew what Emma was asking and nodded in agreement. Emma took a peak to see if Mary-Margaret could see her and then quickly grabbed the decoration off the cake. She held it in her hands but couldn't get Henry separated from the couple.

"What now? He's stuck on there."

"Give him here." Regina commanded in a whisper. She noticed that he was indeed stuck but luckily it was just glue. The same glue that held the carved couple together. Regina got out a knife which made Emma freak out even more.

"What are you doing?" She still whispered but her voice hitched as she said it.

"Getting him off." The mayor proceeded to shove the knife into the glue and Emma was still shaking but calmed when Regina actually succeeded without damaging the wooden boy. They heard Mary-Margaret return and Emma quickly placed back the topper, now Henry-less.

Mary-Margaret noticed how much they looked like they were hiding something but attributed that to them still being embarrassed.

"Where is Henry?" The teacher asked. Both women were startled by the question. "His bag is outside so where is he?" Emma came to the realization that the kid was probably struggling with the bag and came running in to ask Regina for help.

"Bath." The mayor answered. "He's in the bath."

"And he just left his bag outside?"

'Oh she was on to them' Emma thought.

"He wanted to show me something outside, and left it there." Mary-Margaret wasn't fully buying it but she knew how much stuff he packed in that bag and thought it could be possible.

Regina got a playful grin on her face. "I made him take a bath. Since he has been living under your roof after all." This time Regina was the one on the receiving end of a scorn. From both Emma and the princess. But this only made her smile wider.

David broke the tension by strutting into the house. He came into the kitchen and saw the hateful looks flowing between the women. "Nice cake." He commented and pointed towards the creation on the counter. The awkward silence remained for a few more moments.

"Bring it David. We're leaving." The teacher turned her back to them and started walking out.

"Regina." David said as a greeting before picking up the gigantic dessert and half stumbled after his wife.

Regina took a peak to make sure that she and Emma were alone and when she was sure that they were, she turned and gave Emma a slap in the face.

Emma just held her cheek not expecting it at all. A sassy comment maybe but not a slap in the face. "What was that for?" she yelled out.

"First you use Henry as a bribe, then you cause him to be turned into this and then, to top it all off, you tell your mother that I was crying because I didn't get an invitation. Do I look like Maleficent to you?" Regina was clearly pissed and Emma was actually a little scared of her. So she decided to accept her punishment and be grateful she still had a face to be slapped.

"Sorry." was all she could say.

Regina just rolled her eyes, took Henry and started to walk out the room. "I trust you can show yourself out Miss Swan." she waved towards the front door.

Emma wasn't going to leave with Henry still under the spell. So she ran to Regina and grabbed her arm. "Oh no I'm not leaving. Not with my son still in this state."

Regina looked at the hand that was holding unto her arm and again she just rolled her eyes. "Fine Miss Swan."

"What can I do? To help I mean." Emma said as she let go.

"You can start by bringing in Henry's bag. He would never forgive me if something were to happen to one of his precious comic books."

Emma just nodded and did as she was told. She was also surprised to see that all the cake that she messed was gone. She should have figured as much as no one commented on it.

"This is going to be a long day."

Emma ducked just in time as a book came flying towards her head. "Not in that one either huh?" She said as she put down the two cups of tea, she was carrying, on Regina's desk. This time on the coasters. She had made the mistake before and Regina went on an insult rampage. She and Regina had spent most of the day scouring through the books in Regina's study but they haven't found anything yet. Although Emma's version of 'help' had been to make the Mayor tea and make sure she had no distractions. That was the biggest joke because Emma was the worst distraction of all.

"No. Nothing." Regina sighed and paced around her study. She took out another book and flicked through a few of the pages before throwing it on the desk among a stack of other books.

Emma sat down on one of the chairs and paged through some of the books lying on the desk.

"I've already checked those." Regina reminded her and continued searching for another book.

"Yes and I would know exactly what to look for." the blonde said to herself.

"Well maybe if you embraced your magic you would know what to look for."

"I don't see that happening."

"Apparently it already did." The mayor said as she threw down another book.

"You heard what happened with your mother?" Emma asked not knowing how Regina would react to the topic.

"Yes I did. Everyone did." The roll of her eyes told Emma that the Mayor didn't care much for the topic so she just continued to page through the book, even though she didn't even understand the language.

"Wait." Regina stopped and looked at Emma. "My mother." Emma had no idea what was going on in the mayors head, even though she almost never does. This time she never got the chance to ask. "I'll be right back." Regina said as she disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

Emma had never felt more awkward. She was all alone in the mayors mansion. It had been a few minutes since Regina disappeared and Emma was getting bored. She walked to the kitchen to see if there was anything for her to snack on. When all she could find was rye bread and apples, she gave up on her mission.

She was heading back to the study when a photograph on the mantle caught her eye. It was one of Regina and Henry and they both seemed so content in the picture. Emma figured that the photo must have been taken before Henry got the book since he didn't seem to mind being close to the queen. Emma didn't realize she had sat down. All her focus was on the picture that she held.

Regina had returned to an empty study. She went in search of the blonde and found her sitting in the lounge. She was about to give Emma a lecture on personal property when she noticed what the blonde was holding.

"That was before he got the book." Regina said with an almost sadness that tainted her tone.

"I figured as much." Emma said to her with a saddened smile.

"I found it."

"You did?" Emma suddenly lightened up at the prospect of getting their son back.

Regina held up the book. "My mothers spell book. I went to my mausoleum. We do have one problem, though for once I believe you will actually be useful in solving it."

Emma was intrigued and sat waiting for Regina to continue.

"We are going to need to steal the cake."

The two women had spent a few more hours finalizing their plan. Regina forced Emma to call her parents and make an excuse for not going home that night. Emma decided to rather phone David instead of Mary-Margaret as she was still a little embarrassed by the events earlier in the day. Oddly enough David was very accommodating. He assumed that Emma was staying to keep an eye on Henry and he agreed to tell his wife the same.

"How did they take it?" Regina asked when Emma returned to the study.

"Very well actually."

"Well that's a surprise." And Regina was really surprised. She had expected Mary-Margaret of busting through her door and demanding the Mayor to release her daughter from what ever spell she put her under.

"Do you have anything to eat?" It seemed like a random question to the queen until she realized that Emma hadn't had the chance to eat lunch and her regular time for dinner had already passed. They had to wait until the diner closed for them to go through with their plan so the two of them would have to share each others company for a few more hours.

"What do you want." Regina asked.

"I could go get us takeout." Emma said but Regina gave her the same look she did when Emma didn't use the coasters. "Barbarian, I know."

"I was thinking I could make us dinner."

"Really? You would cook for me?" Emma said with a bit of a flirt and she had no idea where it came from.

"I'd cook for your stomach. Last thing I need is a hungry growl waking the diner guard dog." Emma knew that Regina was referring to Ruby but couldn't help but smile. "So what are you in the mood for?"

"lasagna." Emma said smiling.

"Twice in one week? Was my lasagna that good?"

"Actually I never got to taste it. By the time I got there it was gone. Everyone complimented you on it. Well everyone except Leroy. He was still convinced he was going to turn into a rock or something." Regina laughed. She was actually surprised that anyone in this town would compliment her on anything.

"I'll make you some." the mayor smiled.

Regina was in the kitchen making the lasagna. She had put the television on hoping that it could keep Emma entertained. It did for a few minutes until the blonde got sick of it and joined Regina in the kitchen. Regina considered cooking her relaxing time and wasn't in the mood to argue. So when Emma came in, she just sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Nothing to watch Miss Swan?"

"No." Emma plopped down on one of the stools and just sat there watching Regina cook. 'This was much more entertaining than anything on T.V.' she thought to herself.

Regina estimated that it must have been at least half an hour before the blonde said anything.

"What was he like?" Emma asked.

"Who? Henry?"

"Yes Henry. I mean you said that photo was taken before he found the book and that means that he wasn't always so..."

"So... what? Against me?" Emma could hear the sadness in that question. She too wasn't in the mood to argue so she decided to take a safer route.

"So... ten." Emma smiled as she said it and Regina surprised her by returning that smile. Emma couldn't understand what had changed Regina's demeanor. Before she found her mothers spell book, she was ready to turn Emma into wall paper. Now she was bearable... no, pleasant. The blonde attributed it to the fact that Regina could take a little breath as they have found a way to save Henry. Regina started grating the cheese and Emma could see that the queen was thinking of something to say.

"Why don't you spend a few more minutes channel surfing and I will tell you all about him." She finally said. Emma was content with her answer and left her to finish the dish.

It really was only a few more minutes. Emma had abandoned the television and sat in front of Regina's computer. The thing was old and the internet slow. Emma was reminded that everything in this town were practically antiques.

Regina came in to the study with a beautiful carved wooden box. She sat down on one of the seats and beckoned for Emma to join her. She opened the box and Emma saw a bunch of photo albums. Regina opened the first one and the first photo was one where Henry was just a little baby. Regina had him cuddled in her arms and a big smile across her face.

"This was taken at the adoption agency. This was right after I had signed the papers and Henry was officially mine." Regina said as she touched the photo, trying to remember what he felt like. "He never stopped crying though. Luckily he was fast asleep when they took this."

"He cried a lot as a baby?"

"For a while yes. I actually realized that he must be sensing the presence of the evil in me. So I took him back."

"What do you mean you took him back?" a shocked blonde stared at her, waiting for the answer.

"I thought I wasn't worthy to be loved, so I returned him." Emma could see how much the memory hurt. "But I couldn't leave him. He was my son, and I wasn't going to let anything happen to him."

The wooden version of Henry was still sitting on the table where they had left him. They had decided that the tiny figure should stay in one place where they both could easily find him. Emma looked at it and leaned back into the sofa. "Do you think he can hear us or maybe even see us?"

"If he could I am sure he would be wishing he could leave right now."

"Why?" Emma asked.

"Because he didn't know about it. He didn't know that I almost gave him back." Emma went silent for a moment and then decided that she wasn't going to let this be a sad moment.

"Show me more." she almost demanded.

The women had sat there, sometimes laughing and sometimes quiet as Regina told Emma stories of Henry's past. She was almost angry when the timer in the kitchen went off to let her know that the lasagna was ready. She disappeared for a few minutes and left Emma to browse through the rest of the chest.

Emma found a folded piece of paper. She opened it and found a drawing that must have been made by Henry when he just started at school. The crude drawing was of Regina, or mommy as Henry had written it, and himself. A big house was drawn in the back and Emma assumed that it must be the mansion. In big writing at the top stood the words: 'I love my mommy'. Emma was suddenly reminded of the letter Henry said he wrote. She thought that after dinner she would tell Regina about it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter notes:**

I don't own anything from OUAT.

 **Chapter 4:**

 **The impossible mission**

Emma had just finished her second helping. She really wanted to take another one but didn't want to seem 'barbaric' in front of Regina, so she just put her fork down and eyed the leftovers.

"Take... if you must." Regina said after she saw how the blonde drooled at the dish.

"You sure?"

"Yes I'm sure. It's just going to go to waste if you don't eat it." Emma immediately dished herself her third portion and perhaps even a little extra.

"You don't want any?" The blond questioned Regina that had been sitting with an empty plate.

She just took a sip of her cider and delicately folded the napkin on her lap. "I'd like to be able to still fit into my clothes, thank you."

"Or you could just forget about clothes." Emma regretted saying it as soon as she did. Regina gawked at her in surprise but then her shocked expression turned into a smile. "I...I..." was all that Emma could say as Regina started to slightly blush.

"I think I'm going to start washing up." Regina got up and started taking the dishes to the kitchen. Emma wanted to help but she was still stunned in embarrassment, so she just sat there with a half full plate and waited until the brunette had left. A sigh escaped her and she fell her head into her hands. 'why did I say that?'

"Henry wrote you a letter." Emma said as she snuck her empty plate into the sink. "I don't know if I should give it to you now or if I should rather let him give it to you."

"I think Henry wouldn't be too happy if you gave it to me."

"Right." She sighed, still feeling very awkward.

"Would you like some cider Miss Swan?" Regina asked as she finished packing away the last of the dishes.

"Sure." Was all Emma could say. She went red when she suddenly remembered the first time the two of them met. She remembered how Regina wouldn't even let her finish her drink before throwing her out of the house. She also remembered how stunning the Mayor looked when she stood outside, bathed in moonlight...'no no no stop it' The blonde thought.

A moment had passed when Emma finally snapped out of her thoughts and realized she was standing in an empty kitchen. Regina had walked to the study and had left her alone in her daze. She rushed to the study but just stood in the doorway not knowing what to say.

"I would prefer it if you could get back your concentration Miss Swan. I don't want you messing up tonight." Regina said when she realized the blonde had been lingering in the doorway.

"I'm sorry. Must have been the lasagna."

Regina got a playful grin. She found it extremely complimenting to see the blonde act in this manner. Emma had taken her regular seat in the study and just sipped at the cider the Mayor had given her. Regina did the same and both sat there in silence as they watched the minutes tick by.

Midnight.

They were sure that the diner was closed and that the last of the patrons should have left. Regina had excused herself to change and left Emma pacing up and down in the foyer. When the Mayor finally made her appearance, Emma was the one who started giggling.

There stood the mayor, dressed in a black turtle neck, black slacks and probably the only pair of shoes she owned that didn't go well with anything. Emma found the whole attire very amusing.

"We're not robbing a bank you know." the blonde finally let out. Regina, still standing at the top of the staircase, just put her hands on her hips and did her signature eye roll.

"I don't want us to get caught."

"And dressing like a secret agent is supposed to stop that from happening?" Emma giggled.

"Well I'd rather be safe than sorry." Regina said as she folded her arms.

"You seem to forget that I am the sheriff."

"So is your father."

"Right." Regina was right. The last thing she needed was David showing up and finding her literally with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Shall we go Miss Swan?" Regina grabbed Emma's arm in a not so delicate manner and they both disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

They re-appeared inside the diner. It was empty and dark. Not a sign of any life other than the hum of the fridges. Emma gave a disappointed sigh when she noted that they were in the front of the diner.

"You do realize that they are probably keeping it in the back right?" Emma whispered to a very stressed out brunette.

"I don't know what it looks like back there. Would you have preferred I teleport you into a set of carving knives?" Regina said as she fixed the collar of the turtle neck she was wearing.

"Are you telling me that you designed this town and the one place you don't know, is the place you eat?"

"Can we just get on with it?" Regina whispered and motioned towards the back.

They had tried to open the door to the kitchen but it was locked.

"Now what?" Regina asked. She was clearly getting very agitated and Emma knew she would have to watch what she said or the queen might actually teleport a set of carving knives into her. She decided that the best way to go would be to not say anything. Instead she just got out her lock picking kit and got on her knees in front of the key hole.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked but Emma didn't say anything. She concentrated on the sounds and feel of the tiny mechanism that stood between her and a wedding cake. But she couldn't get it to open.

"Some thief you are." Regina stated and Emma was the one who did an eye roll even the mayor could be proud of. Emma knew there was one other way into the kitchen and that was through the order window. The shutters were closed but Emma knew that this lock would be an easy one so she got right to work. When she felt the lock open she gently pushed open the shutter to make as little noise as possible. She easily jumped through the window and motioned for Regina to join her.

"What?" Was all a surprised Regina could say when she realized that Emma wanted her to climb through.

"Oh come on Regina. The cake isn't going to fit through this so you have to come back here."

Regina protested at first. She thought she wasn't going to be a circus animal and jump through hoops for the blonde. But when Emma just continued to stand there with an outstretched hand, she relented. She grabbed unto the hand and climbed as gracefully as a queen ever could through the window.

They both took a quick peek around but couldn't find the cake.

"Where is it?" Emma said as she closed another fridge.

"Are you sure it's here?" A frustrated mayor asked.

"Yes." Emma whispered as loud as she could.

But then there were footsteps. They heard it get closer and without thought Emma grabbed Regina and pulled them both into one of the storage closets.

They both stood in silence as Emma peered through the key hole. It wasn't long until the light went on and a half asleep Ruby made her appearance.

"It's Ruby." Emma whispered.

"Oh great we woke up the guard dog."

Ruby didn't notice them at all. She went to one of the fridges and pulled out a jug, then proceeded to pour it into a giant glass.

"I think she's just getting a beer." Emma said but didn't get an answer.

Regina, who had got frustrated, decided to browse the contents of the closet they were in. She spotted something under all the Tupperware and had continued to try and remove it. It was only when Emma got up that she saw that Regina was trying to remove the dish that once held her lasagna a few nights before.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked as the mayor gently lifted off the plastic containers.

"Getting back my property." Regina whispered. "Don't worry."

"Don't worry?" Emma rolled her eyes and peeked again to see if Ruby had left, but she hadn't. Instead she was clearly in the process of making herself a midnight snack. She had laid out all the ingredients and had started buttering her sandwich. "She's still here. She's going to hear us." Emma pleaded to the mayor, who was dead set on getting back what rightfully belonged to her.

But Regina didn't pay her any mind, and she successfully pulled out the bowl without causing any sound. Emma sighed in relief.

"See I told you..." Regina said, not in a whisper. Emma covered her mouth before she could finish her sentence and then quickly took another peek through the key hole. Ruby heard them. Damnit. The waitress had armed herself with a frying pan and was slowly walking towards the closet.

Emma grabbed hold of Regina. "Get us out of here." She commanded in a whisper.

It was only a few seconds before they were back in the mansion. Neither of them said anything as Emma just stomped off to the study. Regina followed her and watched as Emma cradled the small wooden boy.

"I'm sorry." Regina said still clinging to her reclaimed bowl.

"You're sorry?" Emma wasn't impressed with Regina and every muscle in her face showed it.

"We'll wait a few minutes and go back."

"Fine." was all Emma said before she left the room heading towards the main hall. The last sound that Regina heard was the bathroom door slamming.

Regina stayed in the study for a few minutes longer. The house felt empty even though she knew Emma was still there. It reminded her of when Henry had found the book. How he barely spoke to her. How he ignored her even if she was trying her best. How he chose Emma over her.

She was about to go and tell Emma that they needed to leave when she spotted the giant bag in the foyer. Emma had told her about the letter and in that moment all she wanted to do was read it. She unzipped the bag and started to look for it.

After digging for a while she managed to find it. It was sealed in an envelope and it was addressed to her. Only it said 'to my other mother'. Regina gave a sad smile at the thought that Henry still considered her to be his mother. She went back to the study and gave the wooden boy a look before sitting down and opening the envelope.

 _To my other mother._

 _Yes you are my other mother, but still my mother. I have forgiven you for everything as I now understand better. I was mad at you because you treated me like I was crazy but I now know that you were afraid. You were afraid that you were going to loose everything that you worked for. I just wanted everyone to have their families back and I hope you understand that Emma is also my family. I am sorry if I made you feel like you lost me because I chose to stay with Emma. But please understand that I am still getting to know her and she has a lot to make up for. I am sorry for destroying your happy ending. I hope that some day you will find it again and that this time it will be real._

 _Love_

 _Your son Henry_

Regina gave out a smile but couldn't stop the tears from forming. She was about to put the letter back in the envelope when she saw a photo still in it. She smiled when she saw the photo. It was of Henry and Emma sitting in the diner. They were sharing a milkshake and they were all smiles. Regina realized in that moment that it is as much her fault that Emma had to give up Henry as it is Emma's fault that she now had to eat breakfast alone.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she understood that it was still her fault that they didn't get the cake. She messed up, again.

Emma had finished brooding in the bathroom and came to talk to Regina. She found the mayor in the study, still staring at the picture Henry's letter had given her. Emma felt her heart sink when she saw the tears in Regina's eyes. Something didn't sit well with her whenever she saw the mayor cry. She gently took a seat next to Regina and waited for some remark. But it never came.

"You know...I took him out for milkshakes that day because I thought that you would never let him have it." Emma said as she stared off into the distance. Regina gave her a disdainful look but the blonde didn't see it and she just continued with her story.

"I thought that the woman that made him run from home probably forbid him from trying anything that had sugar in it." Regina didn't say anything. She just watched as the blonde lowered her head. "But I was wrong. He already had a favorite flavor. He couldn't stop talking about how you would make it for him yourself if they ran out of stock. Recently he has been talking more about you. Telling me stories of how he wanted to be the mayor of a town one day, just like you."

Regina couldn't hold back the tears any more. "I'm sorry." was all she could say.

Emma hated seeing her like this and wrapped her arms around the sobbing brunette. She remembered that it was the second time that day this had happened. "We'll fix it." she comforted the mayor.

Once Regina had regained her composure and had fixed her makeup they were ready to go back. This time Regina gently took Emma's hand and teleported them into the back of the diner. The lights were still on and for some reason Emma didn't like it. She cautiously checked around every counter for something but there were no one.

"Maybe the guard dog thought she might come back for another beer." A confused brunette said. Emma knew that this wasn't the case and when she saw the cake sitting there in the open she knew something was up.

"This is very suspicious." Emma commented and Regina had to admit that it was. They waited a few more seconds and when nothing happened Emma decided to take her chance. But just as she was about to lift the cake, the door swung open to Ruby and a crossbow wielding Granny.

"We knew you were up to something." Ruby said. "When Snow told me what happened earlier, I knew it was you Regina."

"Me? What about Emma? She's also here you know." The queen said with her hands on her hips.

'We'll thanks for covering for me.' Emma thought.

"I don't care about Emma. You clearly have her under some kind of spell and I promise you, you won't get away with it." Ruby mimicked Regina and put her hands on her hips.

"I'm not under any spell. Just listen..." The blond started but before she could finish, Regina grabbed her arm and the two of them disappeared. Without the cake.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter notes:**

I don't own anything from OUAT.

 **Chapter 5**

 **The best fit.**

When the purple air cleared, Emma noticed the dreary atmosphere surrounding her and Regina. They were in the Queen's mausoleum. Regina fixed her slacks and pulled once again on the collar of her turtleneck before taking a seat on one of the boxes.

"Really Regina?" Emma was furious. "I know why neither of us want Mary-Margaret to know, but that was Ruby. If we told her she might have helped us." She folded her arms and started pacing around.

"No." The queen softly said as she hung her head.

"No? That's all you can say?"

"I can only guess what your reasons are for not wanting your mother to know Miss Swan, but for me the reason is the same for all of these...people." Regina spoke softly, as if she were begging the Blond not to hate her.

Emma noticed this and took a seat next to Regina. "Why?" She asked calmly.

Regina shook her head and gave an almost hysterical laugh. "I know you might think I'm a bad mother. That I would rather have Henry trapped in a wooden shell for the rest of his life than tell anyone about it."

"You're not a bad mother Regina. It was an accident." The blonde pleaded with the woman next to her.

"They won't think it's an accident. Nothing is ever an accident when I am involved. Do you know what they are going to say?" Emma shook her head, even though she knew exactly what the citizens of Storybrooke would say.

"They will say I did it on purpose. They will say that I am the Evil Queen. The one who would destroy her own son."

Emma nodded. Fully understanding what Regina was saying. "And you didn't trust Ruby?"

Regina sighed and folded her hands on her lap. "She is your mother's best friend. I couldn't risk it. Yes we might have saved Henry, but what then? Then they brainwash him into thinking I wanted to kill him and he is never going to believe me. Never."

"I understand. But we have to do something. The wedding is a few hours away and then what? Then they eat the cake and we have to force them to... regurgitate it?" Emma felt nauseous thinking of what they would have to do.

"I'll make you a deal." Regina said smiling. A genuine smile that forced Emma to smile back." If we haven't fixed this by the time they slice the cake, I'll personally admit to my little mistake." Emma nodded in agreement. She couldn't get enough of this Regina. This woman was not the evil queen everyone called her. She was as human as anyone and also the only one that was able to understand Emma. Understand that she is not a princess and she is definitely not a cheery singing fairytale character. The queen continued to smile for a moment more before her beautiful smile turned into a frown. "One problem."

"What?" the blonde asked as she was snapped out of yet another daze about the queen.

"I'm not invited to the wedding."

"Well I can fix that." Emma got a playful smile on her face.

"How?" A curious grin flooded Regina's features.

"Well I don't know what they were thinking, since everyone I know in this town were invited, but my invite came with a plus one. So what do you say Madame Mayor? Will you be my date to the wedding? she said, still with a playful smile

"Your date? Really Miss Swan?" Emma could almost feel the sarcasm in Regina's tone but just continued to smile.

"Yes. And please, call me Emma."

"Fine, Sheriff, I'll be your... plus one." A part of Regina was reveling in the thought. She imagined the reactions of the people when she walked in there with Snow white's daughter. The other part of her was excited for a whole other reason, but she couldn't say exactly why.

Emma coughed and waved away the purple haze that flooded her view. After they had talked a little more, Regina had decided that they should get some sleep and teleported them back to the mansion.

Emma moved towards the couch and kicked off her shoes, but before she could lay down, her eyes caught a glimpse of a very pissed off mayor.

"Are you sure you weren't raised by cave men Miss Swan?" The queen said, with folded arms and a look that made Emma feel like a kid that got grounded.

"I...I..."

"You can sleep in the guest bedroom. Like a normal person." Regina beckoned Emma to follow her and without word the blonde grabbed her shoes and did exactly as she was told.

Once in the guest bedroom, Regina proceeded to dig out some extra blankets and gave Emma one of the spare toothbrushes and washcloths she kept in case of unexpected visitors. Emma blushed at the thought of some of the 'unexpected' visitors Regina has had and she felt herself becoming almost furious at the idea. But before she could realize any form of jealousy, Regina handed the blonde one of her, extremely sexy, black silk night gowns.

"I think this one should fit." The mayor said with a grin.

"Oh...Okay." Emma didn't know what else to do or say so she just took the garment and left the brunette to go and change.

When Emma returned, the mayor was no where to be seen. She gave out a sigh of relief, and went to turn off the lights. But just as she reached out to darken the room, she caught a glimpse of herself in one of the many mirrors in the room.

"Damn I look good." She said as she turned around in the very short black dress. She turned left and right and even threw a few poses before she realized how the gown smelled just like Regina. She couldn't help herself and held some of the fabric to her face to get a better smell. "Hell you smell good." She shook herself out of the daydream and decided to rather go to bed.

In the other room Regina stood in front of her own mirror. She waved her hand and made the image of a much too comfortable blonde magically disappear. She giggled to herself. "Goodnight Emma." she whispered.

The next morning, or rather just a few hours later, Emma was awakened by a knock on the door. She had to take a few moments to readjust herself to her unfamiliar surroundings before a voice reminded her of exactly where she was.

"Time to wake up." The mayor's firm voice came from beyond the closed door.

"I'm up." She said. Feeling extremely nervous at the thought of Regina deciding to come into the room and seeing her with her bed head and how the night dress had crept up during her restless sleep.

"Alright I'll make us some breakfast." the voice came again and Emma sighed when she heard the sound of heels fading down the hall.

Emma quickly put on her old clothes and fixed up her appearance as good she could before strolling into the kitchen. Her breath hitched when she saw the mayor, already dressed for the wedding. She looked stunning. Even more stunning than usual, Emma thought.

She was wearing a baby blue dress that reached just above her knees. She had paired the look with a white coat to keep out the cold air and, to Emma's surprise, had curled her hair. Regina didn't look at her but knew she was there and allowed her to linger in silence.

"Please don't tell me you are going to wear that to the wedding." She finally said when she thought Emma had gawked enough.

"Err...No. Of course not." Emma stuttered as she looked down at her jeans and signature red jacket.

"Why don't you go home and change while I finish breakfast. I'm sure you will be back before it is done. Since I doubt your look takes much time." Regina said as she leaned into her hip an put a hand on her waist.

"Right. Will be as quick as I can." Emma was already half way out the door when she turned back towards Regina. "Do you think Ruby told Mary-Margaret?" She asked Regina and the mayor came to the conclusion that the diner guard dog could have spilled everything and that Snow would probably take Emma hostage if she should go home.

"I don't know." The mayor said as she contemplated any other options.

"Don't you have something I could wear? I mean, I wore a lot of your clothes before the curse broke. And that dress fit quite well." Emma smiled when she remembered how Henry would sneak her clothes from the mayors closet.

"Yes it did fit you quite well." Regina said not realizing that Emma had no idea that she saw her in the garment.

"What?" Emma wasn't sure what she had just heard.

"My shirt. Remember?" Regina quickly said to cover up her tracks. "The one Henry 'loaned' you."

Emma didn't have time to respond before the Mayor was out of the kitchen and into her bedroom. Emma stood in silence for a while before Regina returned with a few outfits. She handed them to Emma but before the blonde could take them, Regina pulled back her hand.

"Actually, you getting dressed before eating might not be such a good idea." the queen said as she laid the garments over a chair.

"Wait? What?" A confused blonde responded.

"Oh, I've seen how you eat Miss Swan."

Emma was about to quip back at the Mayor but knew it would be pointless to argue. "You're probably right."

Regina had a string of come backs ready but was surprised when the usually stubborn blond didn't fight back. Emma smiled when she saw that the Mayor had nothing to say and watched as Regina tried to form words but fail.

"I'm just going to finish breakfast. Excuse me." was the only sentence Regina was able to form, so she brushed past the blonde and immediately occupied herself with the task of making apple pancakes.

"Do you have anymore syrup?" Emma asked while she was trying to squeeze the last bit left from the bottle.

"No I actually don't." Regina smiled as she watched the blonde fight a loosing battle.

"Can't you just magic us some?" an exhausted blonde pleaded, giving up on the war with the bottle.

"Excuse me? Do you remember what happened the last time I 'magicked' you something? You wouldn't be sitting here if it wasn't for my magic." a smiling mayor joked.

"You're right, I wouldn't." Emma sighed.

The mood went from cheerful and pleasant to sour in an instant. Emma realized what she had just said. And even if it were true, even if it was Regina's curse that took her from her parents, she has never been angry at the queen for it. She also didn't want Regina to think it.

"I didn't mean it like that." The blonde pleaded, but Regina just picked up the plates and left for the kitchen. Emma wasn't in the mood to give up and once she had collected her thoughts, she followed into the kitchen.

Regina was already busy with cleaning and just ignored the blonde.

"I didn't mean it like that." The blonde tried again.

Regina turned her back to Emma and busied herself with cleaning an already clean counter. She wasn't angry at the blonde but angry at herself. She had been fighting the demons that haunted her and let her know that she only causes misery in other's lives.

"Please Regina." but still nothing. "You are going to have to talk to me at some point. We share a son if you remember correctly."

This got Regina's attention. She swung around and looked questioningly at the blonde. Her ears couldn't believe what they heard. That Emma Swan would be willing to say that Henry is also hers, escaped her comprehension.

"Share?" She asked. Still unbelieving.

"Yes Share. You are more a mother to him than I could ever be." The blonde smiled apologetically at the shocked queen.

"But I'm the villain."

"A villain." Emma corrected her. The mayor gave her a questioning look which made Emma smile. "I don't think all villains are so bad."

"How can you say that? I'm the reason you were an orphan."

"You are also the reason Henry isn't." Emma smiled. Impressed with her own quick comeback. "Look. Villains aren't so bad if you really think about it. They are hard working, goal orientated, ambitious and strong, confident people. I believe those are good qualities to have. The heroes are..." Emma pointed at herself and that earned her a giggle from the queen. The blonde sighed when she heard it. The last thing she wanted was for Regina to be angry at her when they have such an important mission ahead of them.

"Are you still mad at me?" Emma asked while looking down at her shoes, hands in her back pockets.

"I wasn't mad at you." The queen sighed. "I just don't want to be the Evil Queen anymore."

"Shit." Emma said jokingly to herself, which caused Regina to let out a soft giggle and she was about to tell the blonde just what she thought of that swear word in her house, but suddenly felt arms around her in a tight hug.

"You deserve to be happy." Emma spoke into Regina's hair.

The mayor smiled. "Thank you."

"How much time do we have left?" Emma yelled from the guest bedroom.

"Fifteen minutes." Regina yelled back. She was in the study, memorizing the spell one last time. They had carefully wrapped Henry in a small box, as to keep him safe and stable for the journey to the wedding.

Emma made her way downstairs and Regina gave her a look-over. The blonde had been forced to change five times before because the mayor didn't deem her combination 'good enough'. This time She was dressed in a pair of Regina's slacks and a white shirt that had been buttoned up to the top. After her look-over, the mayor walked up to Emma.

"This isn't the 50s anymore." Was all Regina said before she started to unbutton the top few buttons on the shirt Emma had chosen. The move made Emma blush and she just kept quiet as Regina straightened out the collar and admired her handy work. "Much better."

Regina made Emma sit on one of the chairs and pulled out some makeup from her bag. "I think red lips would be better than your usual 'nude' look." The queen smiled. Emma was startled at the sudden touch. Regina had placed her hand underneath Emma's chin and held her face while gently applying the red lipstick.

"Am I now ready to be seen with the queen?" Emma asked and the question earned her a smile from the mayor.

"Yes princess." Regina joked. Emma just held in a blush.

"So what's the plan?" Emma took a peak in the mirror to see the mayor's handy work and was not disappointed.

"The spell only works if Henry is on the cake."

"So what's the plan?" Emma asked again.

"That's our plan. Get Henry on the cake, transform him back and get home before they force us to eat anything." The mayor was serious but Emma couldn't help but chuckle. She loved getting a rise out of Regina.

"I'll go get my keys." Emma stood to leave but was met with the mayors scorn.

"Forget it." Regina said

"Your car. Got it."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter notes:**

I don't own anything from OUAT.

 **Chapter 6**

 **The crashed wedding.**

Regina turned into the community center's parking lot. Emma was in charge of Henry duty and kept the small box close to her. They both sat in the car for a few minutes as neither of them really wanted to be part of this gathering.

"Do you think they will even let me in?" Regina asked as she continued to stare out the windshield.

"No." Emma sighed. Regina swung her head to look at the blonde but Emma just started smiling. "But they have no choice because you are my...plus one."

Regina returned Emma's smile but a sudden knock at her window broke her thoughts. Mary-Margaret was waving and signaling for Regina to roll down the window. "Do I have to?" The mayor asked Emma, who was also not in the mood to deal with the teacher. She just shrugged and they both looked at the woman outside the car who was clearly getting frustrated. Regina rolled her eyes, and rolled down the window.

"What is she doing here? And where is Henry?" The pixie haired woman was clearly shocked to see Regina there. "She wasn't invited."

"I invited her. The invitation said I could bring a guest, and Henry...wasn't in the mood to come." Emma pretended as if it was no big deal but she knew very well how the rest of the guests were feeling and going to feel when the queen strutted into the hall.

"We expected you to bring a date, or someone else." The pixie haired woman crossed her arms and glared at both of them.

"I did bring a date." Emma smiled and the mayor let out a brief chuckle. She enjoyed watching Mary-Margaret in full parent mode with Emma being the sarcastic child.

"Shall we go in?" Regina asked Emma and pretended not to even notice Mary-Margaret.

"We probably should." the blonde smiled back and got out of the car.

Mary-Margaret followed a few steps behind them as they reached the front door. Leroy was on door man duty but before he could make any comment about the mayor, Ruby appeared and told him to take a break. Mary-Margaret brushed passed them and hurried to her husband. Emma could see her complaining and pointing to her and Regina.

"So you two again." Ruby said to gain their attention.

"Did you tell her?" Regina asked and Ruby shook her head.

"I didn't want her to worry. She has enough on her plate and the last thing Snow needs, is to worry about what the Evil Queen is doing with her daughter."

"Mostly just eating lasagna and sneaking into diners in the middle of the night." Emma threw into the conversation.

"I don't know what you two were up to last night..." Ruby started but Emma and Regina had already planned their story out.

"Granny still had her bowl." Emma cut her off.

"And you sneak in there in the middle of the night?" The waitress was clearly not buying their explanation. Emma was about to give a comment, but Regina held up her hand.

"Like you said, I am the Evil Queen, and you should be glad. Usually when someone has my property, they don't have the luxury of me 'sneaking' in."

"Alright, I'll buy it... for now." The waitress was still clearly 'not buying' it but Emma was relieved that she backed off. Ruby escorted them into the hall and showed them their seats, which happened to be right across the aisle from Mary-Margaret and David.

"Do we have to sit through all of this?" Emma whispered to Regina. The wedding couple were at the front and Archie was pretending to be an ordained minister. There was nothing fancy or fairytale about this wedding. It was more at a level of low budget shotgun wedding. There were decor but minimal and it reminded Emma more of a birthday party than a wedding. The silver and white were prominent in Ella's dress but the dress itself would probably be considered too plain to be worn to a prom. Emma was getting bored and her patience was wearing thin.

Regina was eyeing Mary-Margaret across the aisle. The teacher hadn't taken her eyes of the two since the wedding started. Regina got a playful smile and, in full view of the teacher, slipped her hand into Emma's.

The blonde gave out a small gasp and Regina grinned when she caught Mary-Margaret's face drop. The teacher gave her husband a nudge and whispered something to him.

Emma stayed silent for the rest of the ceremony and didn't complain again. She simply sat there speechless, with the mayor holding her hand. Once the 'I do's' were said and the couple were about to leave, Emma and Regina slipped out the back door.

They had successfully snuck into the reception area. The area was empty. Just tables and chairs with a few decorative flowers here and there.

"There it is." Emma said when she saw the giant cake sitting on one of the tables across the room. She and Regina rushed to it and the blonde handed Regina the fragile little boy. Regina gently placed Henry at the top of the cake, and started to recite the spell she had rehearsed. Emma could see the magic at Regina's fingertips

But when the mayor opened her eyes, nothing happened. "It didn't work. It should have worked." Regina was furious.

"Could you have said it wrong." Emma asked as she released a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"No, that's not it. I felt the magic, I felt it. Something is wrong."

"I'll tell you what's wrong." a voice came from behind them. Mother Superior and Nova were standing there and a mob of people quickly joined them.

"I should have known the moths were involved." Regina folded her arms and let out a hard breath.

"That's not the real cake!" A little too enthusiastic Nova screamed out.

"I sensed magic was cast on it, so we set up this little trap for you." Blue said. "Tell me why were you so interested in the cake?"

"She tried to poison us!" Leroy screamed out.

"No I didn't ..." Regina started but the voices of the mob over powered her.

"Poison!" "Curse!" "Throw her in jail!" Came the words.

Regina couldn't say anything. The people were still afraid of her but, when Regina was distracted by the approaching mob, Blue cast a binding spell on her. She felt how every one of her muscles contracted and it felt like her lungs were going to collapse.

"Regina!" Emma yelled but David and Thomas grabbed her and held her back. She fought and struggled but it was futile.

The mob ran towards Regina and every fear in Emma's mind ran through her head. She saw how everyone were trying to grab at the queen. Emma could feel the fear and anger rushing through her and, suddenly, a bright light enveloped the room.

When it disappeared everyone, except Emma and Regina were knocked back. The blonde recognized it. It was the same light that threw Cora back when she had her hand in Emma's chest. This was Emma's spell.

A shocked Regina looked at her. She could feel her muscles releasing and in a few moments she was able to move.

Everyone was speechless. They all climbed to their feet but Emma wasn't going to give them another chance at the Queen. She ran and took her place in front of Regina. "This was not Regina's fault!" She yelled out.

"Of... of course it's her fault." Mary-Margaret stuttered out.

"No It's mine! Regina was trying to help me." Everyone in the hall started whispering among each other. "We need the cake to save Henry." Emma finally let out and she tried her best to regain her breath.

"Henry?" David asked, still sitting on the floor.

Emma brushed passed Regina and took off the small carved boy from the decoy cake. "Henry." She turned back to the mob and showed them the small figure. "I destroyed the cake." Emma started.

This just added to the shock that Mary-Margaret was feeling. "What do you mean you destroyed it?"

"When I was taking it to granny's. I...accidentally destroyed it." Emma mumbled but everyone could hear it. Regina gave the blonde a gentle stroke on the arm, her way of letting Emma know that it is okay to continue. "I didn't want to disappoint you." She said to the teacher, who was helping her husband off the floor.

"She came to me and asked me to help her." Regina jumped in. They gave each other a look and gave an unspoken agreement to spill everything. "I did but there was... an accident."

The mob went silent.

"Henry was accidentally caught up in the spell and that's why we were trying to get to the cake." Emma continued.

"You weren't trying to poison us?" Leroy was actually a little disappointed.

"No. If I wanted you all dead I would have done it twenty eight years ago."

The crowd erupted in chatter and Blue signaled to Nova to get the cake. She did as she was told and left the mob to go and fetch it.

"So that's why you were crying?" Mary-Margaret asked and the question made Regina feel self conscious.

She lifted her head and fixed her dress. "Yes Mrs. Charming. If you want to get specific."

"Why didn't you two just tell us?" David, who was still in shock from the entire ordeal, asked.

"We would have helped you." Ruby chimed in and the entire mob whispered in agreement. But before either of the two could say anything, Nova wheeled in the cake, the real cake, and made her way to the centre of the room.

"Anyone order dessert?" Nova joked as she beckoned Regina and Emma to it. They looked at all the people in the room and everyone had smiles on their faces and nodded to them.

"Alright, here we go." Regina softly said to Emma. The blonde placed Henry at the top of the cake and backed away to let Regina do her thing. The mayor closed her eyes and felt the magic flow through her finger tips. She heard a gasp come from the audience and took a peak.

There was Henry. Perfectly fine. He ran to Regina and wrapped his arms around her waist. She couldn't help but fall to her knees and held the boy as tight as she could. Emma joined in the hug and suddenly cheers erupted from all over the room. Regina looked behind Henry and saw that the cake was destroyed. It looked exactly as it did when Emma first brought it to her.

Mary-Margaret walked over to them and, when they both stood up, she gave Emma a hug. "I would never have been disappointed in you." The teacher whispered to her daughter. Regina gave out a smile and so did Henry.

"I could see you guys you know." Henry decided to ruin the moment and gave a giggle when he saw both Emma and Regina's face drop.

"Really kid?" Emma smiled until she remembered the conversations they were having.

Henry got a knowing smile on his face and Regina knew exactly what that meant.

"Sorry about the cake." Emma said to Ashley who had decided to join in the festivities.

"It's alright. Luckily we have a spare." The bride gave a wide smile at the duo and pointed towards the decoy cake.

"I doubt it is going to taste as good as mine though." The teacher laughed.

The wedding was over. Guest were trying to figure out driving arrangements as most of them weren't competent drivers anymore. Even Mary-Margaret had to be held upright by her husband. Emma, Regina and Henry were still seated in the reception hall. Laughing whenever Leroy tried to do 'one last song' to a nearly empty room.

"So, where will I be sleeping tonight." Henry asked. Emma and Regina just gave each other a look and sighed.

"Regina's of course." The blonde said. "I told her you would stay over for one night and I don't think the wooden version of you counts.

"Are you going to sleep over too?" Henry smiled at Emma, who could do nothing but gawk at the boy. "I mean you two got along 'pretty well' last night." Henry grinned.

"What exactly does that mean." a confused Regina asked him. "We fought just as much as we usually do."

"Only when Emma was hungry." The boy laughed and the two woman joined in. The blonde gave Regina a questioning look. She actually wanted to spend more time with both Henry and the mayor, but didn't want to overstay her welcome.

"Then I don't see why not. Emma nearly cleared out the buffet so she should be reasonable." Regina started giggling and Emma blushed as she took the last sip of her champagne.

"Just as long as you two don't kiss in front of me."

Emma spit out the champagne and the act made Henry burst into laughter. The mayor soon joined him and, even though she was still shocked, Emma couldn't help but catch the contagious laughing.

Back at the mansion, Regina had listened to hours of 'the Henry special'. It was way past midnight but both women decided he had enough rest and it was after all a weekend. Emma had left the two alone to make herself and Regina some coffee. When she returned, she lingered in the doorway to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Your mom isn't so bad once you get to know her." Regina said and the words gave both Emma and Henry a smile.

"So you are okay with her being my mom?" Henry asked.

"Yes. Just as long as I also get to be your mother."

Henry started laughing. "Just wait, I'm almost certain there will be another wedding cake to destroy soon. And then you never have to worry about that again"

Emma decided to make her presence known right that moment. The move made an already blushing mayor, turn a deeper shade of red.

"I think I should rather go to bed." Henry said as he packed away his report cards.

"Want me to tuck you in." Both women said collectively. Henry laughed and shook his head. He gave them both a hug.

"Night moms." He said and started rushing out the room before they could even say goodnight to him.

Once Henry was out of view. Emma sneaked her hand around Regina's waist. "Want to make me some lasagna tomorrow?" The blonde asked with a playful grin.

"You know what my lasagna does to you." Regina blushed.

Emma just pulled Regina in a little closer. "Oh I'm counting on it."

The End (Or is it?)


End file.
